Closely fought battles at Russian Indoor Championships

32 golden medals were at stake at the Russian Indoor Nationals held in the Vladimir Kutz Moscow Sport Arena from the 22 – 24 February 2012.

Plenty of multiple medals awarded

The men’s 60m Hurdles resulted in two gold medals being awarded after Yevgeniy Borisov and Konstantin Shabanov both clocked 7.64 seconds and could not be split even on the photo-finish. Igor Peremota was third, 7.74.

Nearly the same happened in the men’s 60m dash where Aleksandr Brednev was only determined the victor after close scrutiny of the photo-finish. 6.72 sec was the time which was also credited to Mikhail Idrisov who took silver. There was a dead heat for third with Yevgeniy Ustavshchikov and Mikhail Yegorov both clocking 6.74 for bronze.

And again two bronze medals were required in the women’s Pole Vault. Ludmila Yeruemina and Angela Sidorova both cleared 4.32m. It was Anastasiya Savchenko who took her first national title with an encouraging 4.52. Aleksandra Kiryashova was second in 4.42.

As expected Dmitriy Starodubtzev took the title in men’s Pole Vault. He cleared 5.90m in January but this time 5.72m was enough for success. Sergei Kucherianu received his silver thanks to a jump of 5.57m. Two bronze medals were also required as Igor Pavlov and Anton Ivakin both cleared 5.47.

In the women’s 3000m Yuliya Vasilieva clocked the best time of the Russian season with 8:53.02 and left behind the former season leader Kristina Khaleeva who clocked 8:57.37.

“I didn’t expect to win at the Russian Nationals, it was only for the second time in my life that I ran the distance indoors,” said Vasilieva.

The men’s 3000m were dominated by Yegor Nikolaev whose 7:53.93 was the best result of the Russian indoor season. Andrei Minzhulin was second in 7:57.89 and Stanislav Anichshenko got the bronze – 7:58.66. On the third and final day of the nationals Yegor Nikolaev got his second title. He dominated the men’s 1500m from the first steps winning in 3:40.90. Ivan Tukhtachev who had earlier won silver at 800m again gained the same colour medal at 1500m – 3:43.40.

The only national record of the championships was set in the women’s 60m Hurdles where the 19-year-old Yekaterina Bleskina bettered the Junior record in the semi-final with 8:18 sec. The former record had been set five years ago by the Olympic 4x100m champion Aleksandra Fedoriva.

Also in the semi-final stage World Heptathlon champion Tatyana Chernova repeated the best result of the Russian indoor season with a time of 8.02 sec. She started in the final but stopped after clearing the first hurdle, and so it was Yekaterina Galitzkaya who gained victory crossing in 8.04, with Svetlana Topilina the runner-up with a time of 8.08.

In the women’s 60m dash, the 22-year-old Yekaterina Filatova clocked 7.25 sec in the semis equalling to the best result of the Russian season. She was the fastest in the final too clocking 7.29 for gold. Yuliya Katzura got her silver with 7.33 and Victoriya Yarushkina was third on the podium in 7.35.

2.34m for Ukhov and Silnov

The second day started with the women’s High Jump. The struggle between Irina Gordeeva and Svetlana Shkolina was tough. Both cleared 1.96m and Shkolina lost on count-back. The champion from the 1st Youth Olympic Games Marya Kuchina got the bronze with a leap of 1.91.

As usually the men’s High Jump was the focus of much attention. World Indoor champion Ivan Ukhov and the Olympic champion Andrei Silnov cleared 2.34m but Ukhov won on count back. Andrei Dmitrik remained third with 2.30.

Yelena Orlova (Sidorchenkova) won the rarely run indoor 2000m Steeplechase in 6:13.98. Yevdokiya Bukina born in 1993, finished fifth but in the world’s quickest time ever for a junior (6:25.20). The men’s race saw an uncompromising fight between Ildar Minshin and the lesser known Aleksandr Paveliyev with the latter winning with a last rush in 5:25.33. The disappointed Minshin lost by only one hundredth of the second – 5:25.34.

The women’s 200m saw Yekaterina Voronenkova clock the best time of the European indoor season with 23.35 sec. Roman Smirnov took the men’s title in 21.07 sec.

Aleksandra Fedoriva in her debut at 400m clocked 51.18 sec for gold. Yuliya Guzhina 51.92 and the 400m specialist Kseniya Ustalova was third, 52.37. All six finalists were quicker than 52.80.

The men’s 400m was also of a good quality. Pavel Trenikhin set the best national mark clocking 46.65 sec, with Valentin Kruglyakov close behind (46.82) and Maksim Aleksandrenko in third clocking 47.01.

It’s a pity that Marina Pospelova didn’t take part in the women’s final at 800m for she had clocked 1:59.45 in her heat which was the best result of the indoor season in Russia. In her absence the tempo of the final was rather slow. Yelena Kofanova won the race – 2:02.46. She was closely followed by Yuliya Rusanova (2:02.46) and Yuliya Tutaeva (2:02.57). Ivan Nesterov won the men’s 800m 1:48.90 leaving behind Ivan Tukhtachev – 1:48.93.

The women’s Long Jump was the event that kept the attention of the audience up to the very last effort. When Darya Klishina, the European Indoor champion produced 6.83m on her first attempt it seemed that everything was decided. However with her last effort Yelena Sokolova leapt to 6.88m. Tatyana Chernova took the bronze with a jump of 6.57. In the qualification round she had made 6.61m.

In the men’s Long Jump Sergei Nikolaev jumped 8.00m, Andrei Khailov with 7.94 was second and Aleksandr Petrov was third with 7.88.

Lyukman Adams proved again that he is the best at the Men’s Triple Jump. He was the only one who went beyond the 17m mark with 17.04 which was the best result of the Russian indoor season. Both Igor Spasovkhodskiy and Aleksei Fedorov leapt 16.66m, with the former getting silver by the virtue of a better second effort.

Anna Krylova won the women’s Triple Jump with 14.31m, just 2 centimetres ahead of Victoriya Valukevich with World University Games champion Yekaterina Koneva, third 14.24.

The women’s Shot Put was taken by Yevgeniya Kolodko who won with 19.46m, just one centimetre short of her season’s best. Irina Tarasova was second (18.69) and European Indoor champion Anna Avdeyeva took bronze, 18.32.

Maksim Sidorov produced 20.98 the best result of the Russian season to take the men’s title. The veteran shot putter Ivan Yushkov was silver medallist (20.61), with Soslan Tzirikhov in bronze, 20.19.

Two fast 5000 metres

Two world season leaders were registered in the rarely run men’s and women’s indoor 5000m. Olga Golovkina was fighting at the finishing line with Yelena Nogovitzina, winning 15.39.61 to 15.41.11. The 37-year-old Mariya Konovalova was third in 15:43.60. In the men’s race, Andrei Safronov set the fastest mark of the Russian season with 13:56.91.

Relays fast too

The sprinters of St Petersburg headed by the well-known 400m runner Svetlana Pospelova and accompanied by Irina Udavkova, Svetlana Gogoleva and Olga Belkina set the world season’s best in the rarely run 4x200m Relay – 1:34.97. A team from Moscow was second in 1:35.19.

Roman Smirnov got his second gold medal of the championships as part of the Moscow quartet who won the 4x200 men’s Relay in 1:25.42.

The two best results in the world this season were also registered in men’s and women’s 4x800m Relays. Olga Soldatova, Anna Luchkina, Alena Glazkova and Yelena Kofanova for Moscow clocked 8:25.57. The fastest time of the season was also set by their male Moscow teammates, Artem Tikhonov, Yuriy Koldin, Viacheslav Sokolov and Stepan Poistigov with 7:23.62.